Anyone undertaking to write a history of the twentieth century world faces a multitude of challenges. The basic methodological decisions confronting the writer of any history text, such as organization, themes and coverage, become more intimidating still when the subject is as vast as global history and the timeframe is as broad as a century. Any such text, to be effective, must be conceived and composed to acquaint students with a wide spectrum of nations, societies, political systems, and ideologies. Thus, the writer is compelled to confront his first challenge--balancing the desire for an inclusive scope against the inevitable editorial constraints on length, and the realization that those texts that strive to be exhaustive often only prove exhausting to students. An equally daunting challenge is to accurately identify and examine the chief agencies that drive world history in the modern era. Finally, the writer faces the question of how to present the subject matter to engage the reader. This text grew out of the authors'' conviction that the history of the twentieth century world could be presented in a comprehensible, coherently organized, and intellectually engaging manner. Accordingly, readers will find that this text is organized around a clearly delineated chronological structure, within which regional historical developments are examined separately.

The scope of this text is broad, reflecting an effort to balance comprehensiveness against the inevitable need for some selectivity regarding coverage according to regions, nations and events. The major nations of each region necessarily command the greatest amount of attention, but a conscientious effort was made to include significant developments elsewhere. This text focuses on three major forces as the driving engines of world history in the twentieth century: ideology, conflict and technology. Few eras have been shaped so dramatically by ideology; the "isms" of the twentieth century reordered governments, economies and societies in every region of the world. Ultimately, the more radical and aggressive ideologies provoked conflicts that ranged from localized civil wars to global conflagrations. While the former often destabilized regions, the latter destroyed existing world orders and laid the foundations for new global arrangements. Technology likewise proved an extraordinarily dynamic engine of change throughout the century, working startling and often unpredictable transformations of the human condition in both war and peace. An important distinguishing aspect of this text stems from the authors'' intent to produce a history that would not only inform but also stimulate student interest and intellectual curiosity.

History, when largely detached from human agency and reduced to overly generalized socio-historical forces, loses its most compelling dimension. The nineteenth-century American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke to an important point when he asserted that "There is properly no histy&istory; only biography." This text reflects the authors'' conviction that the lives and actions of individuals, famous or otherwise, must be considered as among the most significant agents driving history. While acknowledging the importance of the broad and impersonal forces that sometimes propel events, this text reflects the conviction that the richness and drama of history is most fully conveyed through the inclusion of a strong biographical component. Hence, the reader will discover that each chapter is introduced and then concluded by a biographical essay. These biographies introduce key individuals who shaped the history of the twentieth century. The essays also present one or more of the major themes addressed by that chapter. A heightened emphasis on the biographical dimension of history is also evident within the body of each chapter, through greater attention to the lives and contributions of individuals.

The biographical features of this text, combined with a narrative style, aid in presenting the century''s history in a manner that will both engage and inform students. Finally, a quick glance through this text will reveal a simplified and "clean" format, with the chapters adorned by little other than photos and maps: This reflects the authors'' desire to produce a history uncluttered by the array of "boxes," "spotlights," and other features that often characterize history texts. It is the authors'' contention that history is best conveyed as an uninterrupted narrative. If, for example, an individual is significant enough to warrant mention, that material should be incorporated in the body of the text, rather than shorn from it and presented separately in a "box." This text eschews the use of the usual "special features," with the objective of maintaining the continuity of the historical narrative.